Local group to host poverty simulation

The South Central Community Action Program will hold the first poverty simulation in Monroe County as part of Community Action Month May 22. The goal of the simulation, to be held at St. Mark’s Methodist Church, is to educate community members about the low-income population of Bloomington. \n“(The poverty simulation) will be a good way to build awareness of the challenges families face in the community such as paying bills and providing for their families,” said Todd Lare, executive director of the SCCAP in Bloomington.\nThe simulation at St. Mark’s is scheduled to last an hour, broken up into 15-minute-long “weeks.” It will consist of low-income families playing the role of various community members with higher-income jobs, such as bankers or store owners. The community members above the poverty line will be assigned identities of lower-income families, such as those living here in Bloomington.\nAccording to the U.S. Census Bureau, 34.7 percent of Bloomington residents live below the poverty line, fifth in the nation among cities with small to medium populations. \nHowever, Bloomington’s high poverty rate may be unfairly judged, according to City Council President Susan Sandberg. \n“We have a transient population of IU students,” Sandberg said.\nSandberg said many people believe this “transient population” may unfairly skew statistics causing Bloomington to look like it has a higher rate of poverty than it actually does. \nRegardless, Lare feels that poverty is still an issue that needs to be addressed. \n“How much poverty is acceptable?” asked Lare. “Even if it is less than the 34.7 percent and it’s 20 percent, that’s still one in five people in poverty.” \nLare added that with the current economy and the continued loss of manufacturing jobs (GE will be closing in late 2009, taking 900 unskilled labor jobs with it), there is the potential for increased poverty levels in Bloomington. \nThe federal poverty rate in terms of income for 2008 is $10,400 for one person and $3,600 for each additional family member. That works out to $21,200 for a four-person family, which has increased from $20,000 for a four-person family in 2006. \n“Looking at the federal poverty numbers, those mostly take into account the cost of food,” Lare said. The SCCAP considers a person to be in poverty if their income is double the federal poverty rate in order to fully account for food, housing and living expenses. \nA community discussion, in which the participants can discuss any surprises or struggles they might have encountered, will take place following the simulation. \nSeveral non-profit agencies will also be present in order to allow opportunity for community members to actively participate in the struggle against poverty. \n“Every community across the country has people in poverty,” Sandberg said. “We need to get the community to embrace how to solve it.”